A New Place, A New Love
by total-whovian
Summary: Minerva is reflecting on what has happened after the war and realizes that she is all alone with the loss of the one man she loved. But the Room of Requirement provides her with a second chance at adventure and more importantly love. This takes place after DH and during Fellowship of the Ring. The summary sucks, but please read and review! Rating is for future chapters (may change)
1. Chapter 1

**A New Place, A New Love**

**Author's Note:** I hope you guys enjoy this, and I would really appreciate any ideas that you guys have to offer along with any comments. Please review! Enjoy

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the ideas from the LOTR or the HP series. This takes place after the "Deathly Hallows" and during the "Fellowship of the Ring"

**Chapter 1**

Minerva McGonagall moved through the hallways of the school thinking about the events that had transpired the last few years. She had lost a lot of friends and loved ones in the last year, and she could remember each one walking in these hallways. Fred Weasley, Alastor Moody, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, and so many more. Albus. The man that she had loved for as long as she could remember, but of course he had to protect her from all the dangers that he would bring to a relationship.

As she continued through the hallways she caught her reflection in one of the few remaining suits of armor. The lines of age were not as prominent as they were during the war, but she was getting older. She could count the number of gray hairs on her once completely raven head on one hand, but it was more than she used to have, and that just solidified her feelings. She was old and now almost all of her friends were gone. Hell, most of her students were now dead, and she was alone.

Passing by the Seventh Floor Corridor, Minerva was startled by the materialization of a door. As she turned towards it she realized where she was and what this must be. With apprehension in her every step she reached out a hand to grasp the ornately carved wooden handle. The door was embellished with gold accented carvings and stood at about 8 feet tall. She pulled the door towards her to reveal nothing but darkness. Walking cautiously into the darkness she took out her wand to light the way.

What she saw surprised her. She was in a pantry on some type with enough food to feed the entire school. There was another door at the other end so she inched towards it, but as she took another step forward, the door behind her shut and disappeared. _Well, I guess that option is out of the question_. Crossing the rest of the pantry, she could hear voices coming from the other side of the door. One of the voices sounded young and the other sounded like…._Albus? No. It couldn't be!_

They were talking about something, some kind of ring that the younger one was supposed to hide. Then the other one seemed to get angry at something and there was a crash and some yelling. Another voice joined the conversation, and his name was Sam. The older one was asking Sam questions about what he heard, and Minerva caught a name. The older one's name is Gandalf.

Minerva leaned forward to try to hear better, but her foot caught onto a broom that had been leaning against the wall. She tried to catch it before it hit the ground, but she was unsuccessful. Before she knew what to do, the door swung open and she was grabbed around her waist. She was drug from the pantry and whipped around, bringing up her wand as she spun. She was met with a gray staff and the one she assumed was Gandalf.

He looked so much like Albus, and it made her hesitate for a moment bringing her wand higher.

"Who are you?" Gandalf spoke as he put himself between the stranger and the two hobbits.

Minerva looked stunned for a moment but quickly recovered, "Minerva McGonagall. I am from Scotland. I mean no harm, I just sort of ended up here and I am not quite sure how."

Gandalf studied her for a moment and then nodded, "I can sense magic in you are you a witch?"

"Yes," Minerva felt somewhat relieved, but was still ready to attack if need be. She was ready to ask her own questions when Gandalf approached her.

"I am Gandalf the Gray, and these hobbits are Frodo and Sam," Gandalf gestured to them with his staff and then turned to her, "Now where is it you said you were from? I am not familiar with Scotland, and I know Middle Earth pretty well."

"Middle Earth?" Minerva was thoroughly confused. Why would the Room of Requirement send her to another world? She didn't even know it could do that. "I think I was put into another world. I am not from here. I am from _regular_ earth."

Gandalf laughed at her antics and couldn't help but look at her. She was wearing a green robe that seemed to cover a very attractive figure that was swallowed by the black clothes that she wore underneath. Her raven hair had a few gray strands that made her look distinguished and the few lines that were on her face didn't take away from her beauty in the least. Not wanting to be caught staring, Gandalf quickly started up a conversation.

"I am sorry my dear, but I do not know how you got here either."

Now realizing her surroundings, Minerva could see that everything was built for the hobbits, but not Gandalf and herself.

"I am guessing that this is not your house, but Frodo's?"

"Yes," Gandalf said a bit surprised, "but how did you know?"

A bit embarrassed, Minerva looked at the ground before meeting his eyes, "I heard more than a little of your conversation, probably as much as Sam here."

Gandalf looked a bit troubled by this news, but the look was gone before she could decipher it any more. He took on a serious expression and looked at her with an expression that she had seen on another face too many times to count. She was about to be told information that she wasn't going to have a choice in accepting.

"We have a great evil in this world that is attached to that ring," Gandalf points to the ring that Frodo holds, "And they must leave in order to keep it save."

The next ten minutes was full of plans of where everyone was to go and how they were to get there. Then next thing Minerva knew, Frodo, Sam, and her were headed for Bree and a place called "The Prancing Pony." That is where Gandalf would meet them, and they were to stay for a while.

As Gandalf took off, she and the hobbits took off towards large fields of corn, or at least that's what it looked like. They walked through the field in relative science until Frodo decided to break the silence.

"So, you said you are from Scotland," Frodo looked over his shoulder for a brief second, "What's it like there?"

"It's quite like this place actually. It is green almost everywhere and there are cobblestone fences with large open lands. It does rain a lot, but it is my home and I love it." Minerva finished with a look of longing in her eyes.

"What do you do there?" It was Sam who spoke, "Do you travel like Gandalf to different places?"

"No, I am a teacher at a school of witches and wizards," Minerva stated.

They were continuing through the field when Frodo and Sam were tackled to the ground by two other hobbits. They heard screaming and yelling and Minerva deduced that it was the owner of the field and the food in the other hobbits hands must be his. She heard one of the yell run and followed out of instinct. She was able to reach the head of the line before the others and she came to a drop off where she stopped. She felt three bodies slam into hers and she was about to fall over the edge and was pushed further when another hit them. They tumbled down the hill and ended up sprawled out on a path. She was dazed, but she noticed that everyone was up and Frodo was looking down the path.

Minerva noticed something was off with Frodo, "Frodo, are you alright?"

He didn't respond for a while, but when he did it was quiet and chilling, "We need to get off the path."

Nobody seemed to hear, so he turned and said it again this time dragging the others off the path and behind a bluff. Just as they were clear of the path, Minerva could feel a chill run down her spine and hooves of a horse and a horrible screeching sound. She was brought from her thoughts by Sam pulling at Frodo's hand. They had to get out of there, and Minerva was not going let anything happen to them. The other two hobbits seemed to know where they were going and soon they were running toward some type of lake. Before she knew, everyone was on the raft and they were getting ready to go, but everyone was yelling. _Why are they- Frodo!_

Turning to look behind her, she saw Frodo being pursued by a dark figure on a horse. Without thinking twice, Minerva took out her wand and cast the first spell she could think of to counteract the darkness that was about to envelope Frodo.

"Expecto Partonum!" Minerva bellowed and sent her patronus straight at the rider. That was just what Frodo needed to make the rest of the run and make it to the raft. She felt as if the rider's featureless face was staring directly at her, but at the moment, she couldn't care less. She had protected Frodo, and that is all that mattered.


	2. Chapter 2

**A New Place, A New Love**

**Author's Note:** So sorry for the long wait. I have gotten a couple of reviews for this, so I thought I would update. Please continue to review and let me know what you think. I know it doesn't follow the plot line completely, but I hope it is okay.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything that is related to Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings.

**Chapter 2**

By the time they had reached Bree, it was raining and Minerva was losing what was little warmth that she had to the unforgiving down pour. The town was blocked by what appeared to be a large fence to keep things out, and as they got closer, she saw the door that would let them in. Having no clue what to do, she decided to let Frodo take the lead and it proved to be quite successful. Soon they were beyond the massive walls that were now seen as protection to Minerva.

As she looked around, she saw a few lights coming from the inside of what looked to be a bar, but everything else was relatively dark. She focused on the lit bar and saw the sign above the door. She was glad that they had reached their destination and that they would be able to relax. Frodo led them into the bar where Merry and Pippin instantly went for the bar. She found a table for all of them to sit at and just looked around the place. She quickly identified the shady few that each bar tended to have, and settled for looking for those who seemed completely out of place.

As she scanned the crowd, she was able to pick up most of their conversations thanks to her animagus abilities; however, she stopped when she was met with the sight of a hooded figure that was facing directly at them. Before she could think about it anymore, Merry and Pippin cut off her line of sight with several pitchers of what she guessed was beer. She looked down in front of her and realized how tired she truly was, and she could not drink and lose her senses, especially not with a stranger staring at her.

"Excuse me," she said as she say the bar tender go by, "do you by chance know who that man is in the corner?"

"Him?" The bar man gestured towards the hooded stranger, "He's a Ranger, he is. They are a dangerous lot Rangers. They just ride alone in the wilderness without known' where they headed. They call him Striker, and it seems that you have caught his attention."

Minerva didn't miss the appreciative look that the bar tender gave her and hoped Gandalf would show up soon.

"If you'd like," he smirked, "I could escort you out of here and to a room for the night? You wouldn't have to pay me, at least not with any money…"

Chills gripping her spine and a vile taste at the back of her throat, Minerva shook her head and looked back down at her drink.

"Well Sweetie," he caressed her shoulder, "when you are ready to ditch the hobbits, I'll be ready."

With that, he turned away after winking at her, and Minerva had to fight back the urge to gag and burn her robes. The gall of that man scared her and infuriated her, but she had no idea what people in this world could do, and she wasn't about to find out in the middle of a crowded bar. Looking around, she could see that a few other men were giving her appreciative looks, while Merry and Pippin were entertaining several others with songs and stories. Frodo brought her from her reflections with a gentle tap on the hand.

"Minerva," Frodo had a look of concern on his face, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she responded curtly and added a small smile in the attempt to convince him.

"He had no right to do that… Why didn't you use your stick again to get rid of him?"

With a heavy sign, she looked at Frodo and was reminded of a young Harry Potter. Curiosity in full bloom and trouble in the wings ready to swoop in, she had found another Harry, but one that was faced with a different adventure.

"I do not know much about your world, Frodo. This means that I cannot use my wand unless I absolutely have to. I do not know if the people around me are stronger than me or if they have some type of magic of their own. I prefer to know what I am getting into before instigating an altercation."

Just as this was said, she saw Frodo's eyes turn a glassy white and he began to breathe heavily. He started to shiver it seemed before he started to sway. He came out of this state and headed straight for Pippin. Minerva was confused about his sudden change, but when she heard Pippin give away Frodo's real name to some of the people he was entertaining, she knew they were in some trouble.

Silence was echoing throughout the entire bar as Frodo was on the ground and the ring was flying through the air. She looked down at Frodo just as the ring landed perfectly on his finger, only to see him vanish completely. There was a collective gasp from everyone, and she knew this was not good at all. _Maybe I will be using my stick again_, she though bitterly.

Everyone is in a state of hysteria as they discuss the events that just transpired, and she can see Sam's face turn a shade of green and Pippin instantly regain his senses. She can tell that some people are mad, but she doesn't care, she needed to get to Sam, Merry, and Pippin and hopefully keep them out of harm's way. Taking a step forward, she was jerked back by an arm that wrapped itself around her waist. Her back hits the chest of a man that she can feel is quite large, and in this position, there is no way she is going to get her wand. Although considering the way they reacted to Frodo's vanishing act, she doesn't think magic would be a wise choice.

"Well Sweetie, it looks like you were hiding something from us," the bar tenders voice makes her freeze. _Out of everyone here, he had to be the one to grab me_. "Why don't we talk about your punishment, huh? I think I have some friends that have a lil' something to contribute too."

Now Minerva was struggling to get out of his grasp, but he held her strong. She tried to use her arms to pry him off of her, only to result in his other hand grabbing one of her wrists. She was spun around and pinned up against a wooden banister as the man grabbed her other wrist. She had one chance to escape, and she didn't think she would get another one. Bringing her knee forward as hard and fast as she could, she made contact and watched him buckle.

Running away from the banister and her attacker Minerva looks up to Sam, Merry and Pippin just in time to see the hooded figure place his sword back into its holster and drag a struggling Frodo out of the bar. Without a second thought, Minerva beckons the hobbits to follow her as she chased after the hooded figure. The door of the bar closed behind her as she saw them disappear into an inn across the street. Staying on their trail, Minerva followed them through the lobby and up the stairs to come to a closing door. Just as she reached it, a gust of wind hit her face as the door slammed shut. She turned to see the hobbits just catching up, and pulled out her wand.

"Ahlohamora," Minerva whispered and braced herself for a possible stand-off.

One look at the hobbits, and she was opening the door with her wand drawn ready to attack. What she wasn't expecting was to have a sword pressed to her neck and her arm twisted behind her.

"Let her go, or you'll get it!" Sam bellowed from the doorway with his fists in the air.

The man behind her laughed lightly before he addressed the hobbit.

"Your heart is strong and pure, but that will not keep you alive when faced with a blade. I am not going to hurt any of you," Strider said while gently releasing Minerva and sheathing his sword. "I am sorry, Frodo and company, but the Ringwraiths are coming, and we could not stay at the bar."

Minerva whirled around to face this Strider character and pulled her wand to level out just above his chest. This is when she noticed that the hood that he had been previously wearing was gone and a rather calm face was present.

"If you were there to help us, why did you not remove that vile bar man from my person? You obviously have the power to!" Before he could answer, Minerva continued with her questions, "And why would you grab me with a blade to my neck?"

Strider brought his hands up in a gesture of surrender as he watched the woman in front of him point a stick at him. He knew that he had to provide some answers to her questions if he wished to keep her quiet and keep them safe from their enemy.

"I was preoccupied with finding Frodo, and by the time I had found him, the bar tender already had you pinned against the pillar. I pulled out my sword, but you had already proven yourself as quite the capable opponent. As for your second question, I had a hunch that you would burst in here ready to kill, so I tried to allow you some time to calm down."

Minerva still held her wand firm, but the way he spoken and his unwavering gaze made her believe him.

"What were you doing at the bar?"

"Gandalf had sent word that all of you would be meeting here, and that he might require help protecting all of you."

Minerva still had several questions that she wanted answers, but Frodo stopped her by stepping toward Striker and thanking him for saving them.

"Any friend of Gandalf's is a friend of ours. It has been a very tiring day," Frodo paused as he looked at the rest of his group, "can we save all of the other questions for morning? I would really like to get some sleep."

A few hours later, and all four hobbits were fast asleep on Striker's bed. The window sill was occupied by Minerva and Striker as they watched the Ringwraiths enter Bree and head straight for the bar. They appeared again in a window of one of the bedrooms above the bar as they stabbed and massacred the beds that lay before them. Minerva inhaled quickly as she realized that could have been them in those beds, and she wasn't sure she could fend off all of them by herself. Her patronus had worked as a distraction, but she had no idea how to get rid of them.

"You should get some sleep," came a voice to her left.

She turned to face Striker, "I am fine…. What are those things?"

Striker leaned back against the window frame and began his tale of the once Nine Kings.


End file.
